Athena Giustiniani, Head

This head shows the goddess Athena as a warrior, with a helmet perched on her head. Her helmet is decorated with rams' heads. It is a Roman version of a sculpture which dates to the late fifth from early fourth century BCE.

This sculptural type takes its name from a full-length statue which was discovered on the Esquiline in Rome at the start of the seventeenth century and then displayed in the collection of Vincenzo Giustiniani. This was believed to be not just a work of art but a holy cult object. It was said that in the mid eighteenth century Roman boys kissed her hand before going to school, a tradition supposedly continued in the next century by British tourists

Number

168

Material

Marble

Location of Original

Berlin K180

Size

0.51m

References

Lippold: Griechische Plastik, 212 (n.15)
Blümel: Römische Kopien Griechische Skulpturen des V Jahrhunderts (1931), 41-
cf. Archäologischer Anzeiger XLIX (1934), 255, fig.1; 259-. Copy in Athens (NM Magazine Inventory 3004)
cf. Haskell & Penny: Taste and the Antique (1981), 269

Date

Second century CE. Original: late fifth century BCE

Provenance

Acquired in Rome in 1875 from Pasinati

Search Casts

Museum of Classical Archaeology, Cambridge

Every cast tells two stories.
One ancient. One modern.

Admission is free.

Opening hours

Tues-Fri: 10-5pm
Sat: 2-5pm (Univ. term-time only)
Sun & Mon: Closed

Closed on Bank Holiday Mondays

Visit us

Museum of Classical Archaeology
Faculty of Classics
Sidgwick Avenue
Cambridge
CB3 9DA

Get in touch

Tel. +44 (0)1223 330402
Email museum@classics.cam.ac.uk
Join our mailing list

For an explanation of what personal information we gather when you visit the University’s website and details of how that information is used please see the following University Privacy policy:

https://www.cam.ac.uk/about-this-site/privacy-policy

Copyright statement

All images and material on our websites are ©Museum of Classical Archaeology, University of Cambridge unless otherwise stated. Please contact us to reproduce our images using a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence.

Important Information

Museum of Classical Archaeology Web Accessibility Statement